Rangpur cultivators happy over cabbage production

RANGPUR, Nov 6: Cultivation of cabbage has brought smiles to the growers in Rangpur district as they are getting financially benefited through its cultivation.
In the hope to achieve a handsome profit the farmers of the region have geared up cabbage farming across the region with much enthusiasm during the current season.
Many farmers who once used to cultivate paddy and other crops in their fields are now cultivating cabbage as well as other winter vegetable as the cultivation of it has become relatively more lucrative than the other crops.
Akmol (40), a farmer of Boiragiganj village under Mithapukur upazila said, he started growing cabbage on 30 decimals of land one year ago and achieved expected profit which encouraged him to cultivate it on a large scale this season.  He is happy to have gotten an excellent yield, he further said.
Prosanto Kumar (45) of Paschim Madrain village under Gangachra upazila in the district told FE he has brought two bighas of land under cabbage cultivation this season and has already earned Tk 24,000. He is also optimistic of attaining more dividends during the remaining part of this season. Many farmers of the upazila and other parts of the district have become able to overcome the curse of poverty by growing cabbage, he added.
Sobhan Miah, another farmer of Ranipukur in Mithapukur area in the district, said, "I cultivated cabbage on my farmlands this season instead of paddy as the low price of the paddy disheartened me last season". He also got expected output of the produce so far and is quite optimistic of making handsome profit by selling the produce in the market, he also said.
The farmers of many areas however complained that a section of middlemen and traders deprive the farmers of fair prices every year due to lack of adequate marketing options. They urged the government to take adequate measures so that they can get fair prices of their produce.
Talking to The Financial Express a number of farmers said if the cultivators get interest-free loans and other agricultural inputs, they will greatly be benefited by farming the crop.
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Ensuring food security for the poor stressed
A BSS report says: Speakers at a coordination meeting have stressed for strengthening participation and influence of the poor and vulnerable farmers and fishers folk in the decision making process to ensure their food security.
They were addressing the 'Quarterly Coordination Meeting of the District Level Farmers and Fishers Forum' organised by Social Equality for Effective Development (SEED) at Rangapur Sahittya Parishad auditorium in the city on Wednesday.
The daylong meeting was organised under the 'Strengthening Participation and Influence of Poor and Vulnerable Farmers and Fishers folk in Decision Making Process Related to Food Security Project' being funded by European Union and Oxfam.